Pic from an old thread.... (Full Version)

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Venividivici10044 -> Pic from an old thread.... (3/7/2010 11:37:01 AM)

This picture was from an old name this thread in the WitP region. I downloaded it awhile back, and have been intrigued over the identities and fates of the men in the picture. Does anyone have any thoughts or leads as to where I could find out more about these men and their ultimate fates?

Original thread...Sorry I saved to a file as a cut and paste so can't direct you to the thread...QUOTE"The photograph almost certainly shows one of the six A6M2-N Suisen of the Toko Ku conveyed to Kiska aboard Chiyoda in June 1942. Thereafter, a number of Type 0 Reconnaissance Seaplanes (Suitei) belonging to the airgroups of Kamikawa Maru and Kiyokawa Maru were shipped into Kiska aboard Kamikawa Maru. On 5 Aug 1942 these Suisen and the Suitei were amalgamated into a single unit, Number 5 Kokutai, and assigned the character 'R' as their unit code. Hence the fact that the foreground Suisen bears this prefix to its tailcode, whilst in the background are visible one, perhaps two, Type 0 seaplanes - known under the Allied naming scheme as 'Jakes'.

Number 5 Kokutai was redesignated Number 452 Kaigun Kokutai on 1 November 1942, but I do not know whether a change of code was applied to the redesignated unit.

15 June 1942:
Arrives at Kiska. Joins light cruiser KISO, tender KIMIKAWA MARU and destroyers and auxiliaries that arrived earlier. Also present at Kiska is a detachment of the Toko Kokutai with six Type 97 Kawanishi H6K "Mavis" flying boats under Captain Ito Sukemitsu.

KAMIKAWA MARU off-loads her floatplanes to the beach where a seaplane base has been set up. KAMIKAWA MARU's floatplanes fly three-hour ASW and reconnaissance patrols.

19 June 1942:
Frequent air raids on Kiska by the USAAF 11th Air Force cause KAMIKAWA MARU to take refuge at MacDonald Bay, Agattu Island, Aleutians with KIMIKAWA MARU"END QUOTE




[image]local://upfiles/32698/C000AC394697474E80D7C12F656605CE.jpg[/image]


Thanks for any help that you may provide!



Local Yokel -> RE: Pic from an old thread.... (3/7/2010 6:03:15 PM)

One of my posts comes back to haunt me!

The original thread in which this shot was posted is here.

I would think these must be the pilots of the Tôko Kû Suisen Buntai, formed at Yokusuka in May 1942. I can't individually identify them, but their names were:

Commanding Officer: Lt Yamada Kushichiro
Executive Officer: Ens(Sp.duty) Saito Kiyomi
Pilots:
PO2c Ôkawa Kaishi
PO2c Sasaki Yoshikazu
PO3c Uchiyama Katsutaro
Sea2c Minasawa Minoru

For more information, see this thread on the j-aircraft board. Since at least one Suisen was abandoned at Kiska, it is at least possible that the personnel of this buntai remained on the island until its evacuation by Kimura Masatome. Perhaps they were re-drafted into another unit flying aircraft based on the A6M airframe. Conceivably they ended up in another Suisen unit on Home Island air defence duties, as both Type 2 Suisen and their successor, the N1K Kyofu operated in this role from Lake Biwa near Kyoto.



Nemo121 -> RE: Pic from an old thread.... (3/7/2010 6:30:09 PM)

The amount of detail you can find on this forum amazes me sometimes...

Some random pilots in a random picture from some icy island and we generate a list of names and future deployment history and will, almost certainly, with a bit more digging be able to figure out which of them survived the war and which didn't (I'm guessing not many did ).



Brady -> RE: Pic from an old thread.... (3/7/2010 6:48:00 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Local Yokel

One of my posts comes back to haunt me!

The original thread in which this shot was posted is here.

I would think these must be the pilots of the Tôko Kû Suisen Buntai, formed at Yokusuka in May 1942. I can't individually identify them, but their names were:

Commanding Officer: Lt Yamada Kushichiro 213-214 *
Executive Officer: Ens(Sp.duty) Saito Kiyomi
Pilots:
PO2c Ôkawa Kaishi
PO2c Sasaki Yoshikazu
PO3c Uchiyama Katsutaro
Sea2c Minasawa Minoru

For more information, see this thread on the j-aircraft board. Since at least one Suisen was abandoned at Kiska, it is at least possible that the personnel of this buntai remained on the island until its evacuation by Kimura Masatome. Perhaps they were re-drafted into another unit flying aircraft based on the A6M airframe. Conceivably they ended up in another Suisen unit on Home Island air defence duties, as both Type 2 Suisen and their successor, the N1K Kyofu operated in this role from Lake Biwa near Kyoto.



* Japanese Naval Aces and Fighter Units in WW2

Became the Air officer Airgroupe 302 after it was formed March 1st 1944. He comanded a Buntai of Zero Fighters their.



thegreatwent -> RE: Pic from an old thread.... (3/7/2010 8:46:58 PM)

quote:

The amount of detail you can find on this forum amazes me sometimes...

Some random pilots in a random picture from some icy island and we generate a list of names and future deployment history and will, almost certainly, with a bit more digging be able to figure out which of them survived the war and which didn't (I'm guessing not many did ).




I once told my wife that you could post a picture of a outhouse and somebody here could tell you when, where and who last used it. Further they would be correct[:D]



Nemo121 -> RE: Pic from an old thread.... (3/7/2010 8:54:38 PM)

1 down, 5 to go. C'mon forumites, let's crack this one ( I'm no use on this... if anyone has something German or, better yet, Soviet I'd be a help but Japanese and American stuff I'm hopeless with ).



Grollub -> RE: Pic from an old thread.... (3/7/2010 8:55:10 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: thegreatwent

quote:

The amount of detail you can find on this forum amazes me sometimes...

Some random pilots in a random picture from some icy island and we generate a list of names and future deployment history and will, almost certainly, with a bit more digging be able to figure out which of them survived the war and which didn't (I'm guessing not many did ).




I once told my wife that you could post a picture of a outhouse and somebody here could tell you when, where and who last used it. Further they would be correct[:D]

But of course. Many Outhose Fan Boys out there. [:'(]



Venividivici10044 -> RE: Pic from an old thread.... (3/8/2010 12:15:49 AM)

Amazing work so far....thanks. Sometimes a picture will tend to capture your thoughts; the expressions on the faces of the men in the picture have made me wonder what happened to them. I hope to hear more as time goes on!



Jim D Burns -> RE: Pic from an old thread.... (3/8/2010 3:24:57 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Venividivici10044
I hope to hear more as time goes on!


Well if anyone is in Japan and can read Japanese, some individual name searches on Japanese servers might turn up a vets organization web page or something similar to what we have here in the states. We also have some vet (or their relatives) created web pages for the different groups and squadrons, so searching Japanese servers for those as well might get a hit.

Jim



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